N.Z. PAYS PRICE IN INJURIES Bitter match won by All Blacks; Cardiff accused

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33066, 6 November 1972, Page 28

N.Z. PAYS PRICE IN INJURIES Bitter match won by All Blacks; Cardiff accused

(From J. K. BROOKS. N.Z.PA. special correspondent) JRH CARDIFF. The All Blacks laid low the Welsh bogy which had hung threateningly over them since the defeat by Llanelli, when they beat Cardiff, 20-4, on Saturday before a crowd of 50,000. But the joy of a convincing victory was offset by the grim realisation that their opponents had been more interested in playing the man than the ball.

Obstructive tactics used blatantly by Cardiff made the match a sour and sometimes bitter affair. Several violent flareups were sparked off by Welshmen tackling New Zealanders without the ball.

In the worst incident, the All Black prop, J. D. Matheson, was knocked oat by an uppercut from the Cardiff lock, I. Robinson, during a scramble under a high ball.

Boorish cheers from a wildly partisan section of the crowd as Matheson was carried off on a stretcher were a blot on Welsh sportsmanship. Williams booed Some spectators, taking their cue from the attitude of Cardiff players, booed B. G. Williams several times and chanted “off off” because Williams twice dealt summarily with a defender putting him to the ground without the ball. J. F. Karam was slow handclapped when taking a kick, and there was another noisy outbreak as rival mid-field backs clashed on the Cardiff goal-line. Cardiff’s approach to the game was deplorable. If this b what all the distinguished

coaches counselled them to do during a week of collective brain-washing, then Rugby in the Welsh capital is surely doomed. Early penalties The All Blacks took a firm grip on the game with two good penalty goals by Karam in the first 13 minutes. From then, the tourists kept pressure on Cardiff with strong forward drives, sharp breaks by S. M. Going, and enterprising attacks by other backs, chiefly G. B. Batty, from long, unimaginative Cardiff kicks downfield.

The result was a muchimproved All Black effort by backs and forwards which yielded three tries on the well-grassed Arms Park. The backing-up was first-class and breaks by I. A. Kirkpatrick and Going were converted into valuable territorial gains through eager support of the ball-carrier.

New Zealand’s forwards made a strong showing, winning the line-outs 14-8 and rucks 11-3, and were constantly inspired by the ex-

cellent play of Kirkpatrick, whose own high standards of conduct shamed his opponents.

K. Murdoch and P. L. Whiting, like Kirkpatrick, playing their third successive match, made yeoman efforts in the tight, and H. H. Macdonald produced an excellent all-round display which must have greatly improved his prospects of gaining a place in the test against Wales on the same ground early in December.

Going bounced back to his best form after his lay-off because of an injured ankle and played a notable part in two tries. His passing was wild and uncontrolled in the early stages but he bamboozled the Cardiff flankers with ducking, dodging breaks to put the All Blacks across the advantage line from set play. New Zealand lived up to Mr R. H. Duff’s promise at the start of the tour that there would be work for all players. The backs played a notable part in the win. Batty was chockful of enterprise and M. Sayers is shaping into a most promising inside back. Negative football Cardiff, in contrast, showed little tactical appreciation of the situation and played a negative game for the most part, in spite of winning much scrum ball. Its backs, outside the fly-half, K. James, were rarely brought into play, although the centres, N. Williams and A. Finlayson, showed in two runs from broken play that they had the ability to penetrate the New Zealand defence.

The Lions scrum-half, G. O. Edwards, hogged the ball for most of the match, with kicks over the top and occasional breaks. He showed his class with a fine try but badly blundered by not ensuring the ball was distributed more freely. The wings, J. Bevan and W. Lewis, were both sharp movers who thirsted for chances.

The Cardiff flankers, M. John and R. Lane, played a big part in setting up Edwards’s try eight minutes from the end. But the forwards generally were too concerned with niggling at the New Zealanders. John, as captain, set a poor example by taking Holmes out of the line-outs when New Zealand used the long throw-in.

The burly prop, R. Beard, was constantly looking for a showdown. But for the inter- ‘ vention of the Scottish re-, feree, Mr J. Young, he might* well have had one with the All Black flanker, A. J. Wyllie, who came to Williams’s aid once and was obviously incensed by the treatment of Matheson. , To their credit, the New Zealanders rose above the pettiness of the Cardiff pack and produced some really good play, notably in driving and rucking which was carried out with vigour and spirit. The forwards drove in behind the man with the ball and this technically-perfect play brought just rewards. P. L. Whiting and Mac- , donald excelled in the lineouts and the mobility of the I New. Zealand pack was emI phasised by the efforts of i Macdonald and Matheson. Wyllie and Holmes played , leading roles in backing up and R. W. Norton and Mur- ' doch were trojan workers in the tight. There were no tight heads, but the New Zealand pack constantly beat Cardiff to the ■ shove in the scrums.

Replacement made The replacement prop, G. L. Whiting, gave an encouraging display of tight play, and his handling was exemplary. Williams, Batty and Karam made full use of hopeful Cardiff kicks by running the ball from deep inside their own territory, and linking with the forwards. Williams’s effectiveness was reduced by Cardiff’s obstructive tactics, but Batty was never pinned in a tight comer and Welsh distress signals were hoisted whenever he had the ball. He scored a brililant try through sheer determination and quick thinking in acting as dummy half when Going was caught in a ruck, and started the move which led to Kirkpatrick’s try. E - Burgess was always a thoughtful, constructive player, while Karam, although not as spectacular as in previous appearances, still was reassuringly sound. Different tune The crowd’s singing before the game was not very uplifting, and the songs died in Welsh throats soon after Karam’s two penalty goals had given New Zealand the whip hand.

One redeeming feature was the crowd’s clapping and cheering of good New Zealand play and try-scoring moves. But it will be a long time before the All Blacks forget Rugby in the Cardiff style.